ABSTRACT
I laugh it off, respond with a joke, and assure my interview subject that my job is perfectly common.
I am a solo video journalist. And I have a great job. Television news has always appeared more glamorous on screen than in
person, but perhaps no trend represents this more than the rise of the solo video journalist. The idea – at least, as a widespread concept – is relatively new, and even my own industry cannot agree on what to call me. Many stations use the term “multimedia journalist” or “MMJ”; others say “one-man band,” “backpack journalist,” or “do-it-all reporter.” (You will see all of these terms in this book.) On camera, I appear no different than my fellow reporters; off camera, I juggle twice the responsibilities and apply far more physical effort, shooting and editing my own stories.
